Planning Your Visit

We understand that church is far more than just a building. It is a place to learn about God and His wonderful plan for man. It is a place for people to come together and worship the Lord Who made them. Whether for children, teens or adults, Ferndale Baptist is a place where one can know the joy of being personally reconciled to God and living as He originally intended. Each one can grow under the solid preaching and teaching of God’s Word that connects with daily life.

Here you will find a loving Christian fellowship; but more importantly, you can come to a place where meaningful and life-changing discoveries can be made as we learn, love and live the truth found in God’s Word.

Visiting a new church can be really intimidating or overwhelming because of the unfamiliarity of the surroundings. We want to ease that feeling as much as possible! Here’s some information that should make your first visit a comfortable experience and allow you to turn your attention to God’s word instead of spending it on figuring out where things are located or what our routine is.

1. What should I expect?

Our services are designed to engage and meet the needs of our members and guests.

Expect a well-staffed, safe and clean nursery.

Expect preaching that is Biblical in its content and practical in its application.

Expect music that is conservative and uplifting.

Expect to meet people who are not perfect, but seeking to grow to be more like Christ.

2. What are your worship services like?

We believe all phases of our worship service should demonstrate our respect and admiration of a holy God. Although worship is much more than music, we believe that the type of music that pleases God is not derived from the culture in which we live, but from the principles found in The Bible, God’s Word. Our service music strives to be a reflection of our view of God and His character. The use of time-honored hymns of the Faith, as well as selected conservative and Scripturally-sound Christian music written by present-day composers reveal our sincere desire to worship the Lord respectfully. We view the music ministry of a church as one God-given means of teaching and admonishing one another (Colossians 3:16).

Typically our worship services begin with one of our accompanists playing sacred music to prepare our hearts for worship. Then the pastor will make some announcements about upcoming events and welcome our guests (Don’t worry he won’t make you stand up or wave or anything like that!). Following that he will read a selected passage of Scripture. We then worship the Lord with singing --our choir sings, our congregation sings, sometimes instrumentalists will play a sacred selection to the Lord, at other times a soloist or group may sing. Our pastor will preach a message from God's Word and then give an opportunity for folk to make decisions regarding matters that God has spoken to them about in His Word.

In the evening, our services are less formal and we take a few minutes to greet one another – and you, too! Many of us will wander around during this time, catching up with friends and meeting new folks. Don’t feel like you have to leave your seat. Part of our worship also includes giving money so we take an offering at every Sunday service. These gifts are used to support the local work of the church and the missionary activities of the church. Do not feel obligated to give! This is the way our church family demonstrates an open heart toward God, Who set the example as our greatest Giver. Then our pastor delivers a message from God’s Word. Sometimes our pastor will speak on a specific theme and deliver a series of sermons on that theme and at other times you’ll find us working our way through a book of the Bible, one passage at a time, uncovering the lessons God has for us.

While guests are welcome to bring a translation of the Bible that they may have, we use the Authorized Version of the Bible (KJV) for our public worship. We recognize the unique place of the originally inspired manuscripts (the autographs) of Scripture and refuse to elevate a translation to the authority of the original manuscripts. We recognize that though other translations might faithfully reflect the original text, there are many that are untrustworthy. Attempting to avoid the confusion that we see in other churches where people frequently find it difficult to follow a preacher using another translation, we uniformly emplly the Authorized Version (King James Version) as the standard version for our worship and service.

3. Is there something for the children?

Yes! We have nurseries available with a very capable staff to love your children and care for them while you are worshipping should you need them. We also offer a Children's Church that children ages three up to third grade are welcome to attend. They will first meet in the auditorium and will be dismissed at an announced time during the worship service.

4. Where do we go once we arrive?

If you arrive before 10:00 am, you would be in time for our Sunday School, a Bible Study time for folk of all ages. Come over to the educational building which is the building to the left of our church auditorium. There you will find a greeter that is ready to direct you and your family to their various classes which are age/grade appropriate. Just let them know you’re visiting for the first time and they’ll be very happy to help you find the classrooms that you need. Afterwards, there would be folk in your particular class that would be more than happy to show you how to enter the main auditorium where one of our ushers would greet you, present a guest registration packet to you, a bulletin that presents the order of service, and help you find a comfortable seat inside.

If you are arrive just before 11:00 am, you would be in time for our Sunday morning worship service. Right across from the parking lot you will find the main entrance to our auditorium. One of our friendly ushers will greet you and present a guest registration packet to you and help you find a seat inside.

5. Where are you located and what are your service times?

Our Location:
We are temporarily located about a mile from Exit 209 as you travel down to Charleston, SC on I-26 East. Exit 209 is Ashley Phosphate Road. If coming eastbound on I-26, take a left at the end of the exit ramp. Once you are on Ashley Phosphate Road, head north towards Rivers Avenue (Hwy 52). Just before the second traffic light you will see a tall First Citizens Bank on the left. Just after the bank, turn left onto North Center Street. The road curves to the left and on the right is Northwoods Business Park. We are meeting in Building "D" Suite 403. Our address is 2154 North Center Street, Suite D-403. Our plans are to remain in this temporary location until we complete our new phase one project--the construction of a new church auditorium and educational space on Foster Creek Road in Hanahan.

Click here for a map or go to our home page and click on “Service Time and Directions” on the top right for a customized map showing you how to get from your location to ours.

Our Service Times:
Our Sunday School is a time for each age group to study the Bible on their level. Classes are held inside our educational building at 10:00 am. We dismiss at 10:45 am. Fellowship briefly afterwards or come right on into the auditorium. As you enter the main assembly area, our pianist or organist plays hymns to prepare our hearts for worship.

Our Sunday morning worship service is held in the church auditorium and begins at 11:00 am and dismisses around 12:15 pm. Don’t be surprised if folk want to chat with you afterwards and get to know you!

On Sunday nights we gather once again to worship the Lord at 6:00 pm. We dismiss around 7:15 pm. You will often find our folk like to stay afterwards and spend time talking and enjoying each other’s company.

On Wednesday night, adults gather for a mid-week prayer meeting in the auditorium that begins at 7:00 pm. For our children ages three through sixth grade, our Kids 4 Truth program runs 6:30 pm -8:00 pm during the school year.

6. What Should I Wear?

You will find many of us in traditional “Sunday best” – such as suits, dresses, etc. Others will wear something more like business casual. Come in whatever is your best but please don’t feel troubled over this decision. You are always welcome regardless.

7. Any other questions?

Just ask us in person when you arrive or communicate with us by phone (843) 744-3307, email, smoke signals, we take it all. We hope to see you this Sunday!